


a proper home, a quiet home

by jessicamiriamdrew



Category: Naruto
Genre: Discord: Umino Hours, Gen, Knitting, Slice of Life, beta reading? in THIS economy?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:07:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24154813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessicamiriamdrew/pseuds/jessicamiriamdrew
Summary: Naruto thinks he doesn't have any family to pass on traditions to him. Iruka points out that isn't quite true.
Relationships: Umino Iruka & Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 7
Kudos: 81





	a proper home, a quiet home

**Author's Note:**

> i care about canon as much as it fits my purposes, so don't look too hard. this is mostly pre-canon, i think, but really it doesn't matter. i just wanted Iruka teaching little Naruto how to knit and some family feelings.
> 
> more specific notes at the end!

“Naruto, what is it?” 

The cartoon Naruto has been watching while Iruka graded papers is over, and that usually means that Naruto would be begging for a movie or dessert. But Naruto is flopped on his back, eyes staring at the ceiling.

“Next week is family traditions week,” Naruto says. 

Oh. For as much as he and Naruto have in common, Iruka sometimes forgets that he had the benefit of ten years with his parents.

“I don’t wanna go.”

Iruka glances at his stack of papers, slanting the graded stack sideways, and taps the couch. 

“Well, you know I’m not going to let you skip school,” Iruka says. “So why don’t you tell me about the assignment?”

Naruto sighs, the most put upon sounding eight year old Iruka has ever met, and drags himself up onto the couch.

“We’re supposed to tell about a tradition or show something we’ve made with our families. And I don’t have one.”

Iruka pokes him in the stomach. “I know you don’t mean that, because I’m your family.”

Naruto smiles, just a smidge, not the glowing one he puts on when he’s trying too hard to be happy.

“Wait right here,” Iruka says, standing up from the couch and walking to his bedroom. He ignores Naruto’s mumbles about where would I go anyway, we haven’t had dessert. 

He shakes his head at his own messy closet, and finagles the container he’s looking for out from the back.

Holding it to his side, he goes back to Naruto and sets it on the floor in front of them.

“If you think you don’t have a family tradition, it’s because I haven’t taught you yet.”

“Are you going to teach me how to make paper bombs?” Naruto asks.

“No,” Iruka says, nudging him. “Why don’t you open the box?”

Naruto reaches for it and opens the box slowly, like Iruka will yank it away from him if he moves too quickly.

“What is this stuff, sensei?” he asks, his face scrunching up.

“It’s yarn, and knitting needles. I’m going to teach you how to knit.”

Iruka can’t help himself and ruffles Naruto’s hair when he sees the look of wonder on Naruto’s face. He rummages through the box until he pulls out a skein of orange yarn that isn’t too skinny, and a pair of circular needles to go with them.

“Do you know how to make a slip knot?” Iruka asks.

“Of course,” Naruto says. “I’m gonna be hokage. I’ve been practicing knots.”

Iruka hands him the needles and the yarn. “Okay, so take the yarn and use it to make a slip knot on the end of one of the needles.”

The determination on Naruto’s face as he painstakingly makes the slip knot is adorable, in Iruka’s totally unbiased opinion.

“Now we have to make more stitches,” Iruka says, taking the needles from Naruto and demonstrating a cast on. “Just watch a few times.”

They have to rip out and start over twice, but on the third attempt, Naruto is casting on stitches by himself.

Iruka positions his hands over Naruto’s, wrapping the yarn between his fingers to keep the tension in place. He guides Naruto’s hands through the motions of the knit stitch, a warm spot burning in his chest. 

“Is this really a family tradition?” Naruto says, tongue poking out as he tries to maneuver the needles.

“My mom taught me how to knit when I was just a little younger than you,” Iruka says, slipping back to give Naruto room to practice, the way his mom did with him, the way she said her father had taught her.

The needles pause and Iruka instinctively checks for dropped stitches, but everything is intact. It’s Naruto’s face that is threatening to wobble over with tears.

“Would your mom be mad that you’re teaching me? Since we’re not…”

Iruka blinks back his own set of tears and pulls Naruto in close, heedless of the needles and yarn getting squished between them.

“Naruto. If I know my mom, she’s probably saying finally! about me teaching you to knit.”

So much pain in this one small child, who doesn’t even have the memories of being loved by a family.

“Cause we’re family?” Naruto asks, voice muffled.

“Definitely,” Iruka says, pressing a kiss to his unruly hair.

When Naruto starts squirming, Iruka lets him escape, noticing that Naruto is clutching the knitting.

“Now that that’s settled,” Iruka says. “What do you want to make?”

Naruto’s grin only promises further traditions to come.

**Author's Note:**

> i did NOT go super detailed trying to describe the process of knitting because there are multiple ways of knitting and casting on and holding needles and etc. so. that's why!
> 
> the title is from tradition from fiddler on the roof, and idk, it seemed right
> 
> re:canon my thoughts were roughly that naruto does have other teachers than iruka. like, maybe some non-ninja skill based classes. someone please teach these children about money and literature
> 
> hmu on tumblr at the same username where i'm posting abt naruto or jewish stuff or both


End file.
